An off-duty New Jersey trooper allegedly fired three shots from his personal gun at fleeing teens after the three boys accidentally went to his home early Sunday. The teenagers said they were afraid for their lives.

The teens told NJ.com they mistakenly went to the man’s Sparta, New Jersey, front door around 2 a.m., thinking it was a friend’s house, and when they knocked, he began cursing at them and yelling through the door.

The teens ran back to their car and allege the officer came outside after them and fired shots as they pulled away, NJ.com said. But the police officer, who has not been officially identified, said he identified himself as law enforcement and told them to stop.

But in a release quoted by NJ.com, the Attorney General’s office said the trooper believed the boys were trying to get into his house, and when he followed them into the street, he fired shots when they didn’t stop.

Jesse Barkhorn, 18, one of the teens involved, told NJ.com that he and his friends were grilled for nine hours by police after the incident, and were asked repeatedly whether they tried to swerve toward the officer. Barkhorn insisted that they didn’t, explaining, "That's the exact opposite of what we were trying to do. We were just scared and trying to get out of there with our lives."

Barkhorn identified his friends as John Baker, 18, and Matthew Mayer, 19, the news site said.

An off-duty New Jersey trooper allegedly fired three shots from his personal gun at fleeing teens after the three boys accidentally went to his home early Sunday. The teenagers said they were afraid for their lives.